Spiteful Brewing | Alley Time! Pale Ale

Spiteful Brewing | Alley Time! Pale Ale

6% ABV

Spiteful is among my favorites of the breweries I’ve discovered since moving to Chicago a little over four months ago. The Alley Time is a smash beer (single malt/single hop) made with Pilsen malt and Simcoe hops. These two ingredients come together to create a crisp, refreshing pale ale with just the right amount of bite for these warm summer days, fleeting though they may be. Read More

Milking the Tourist Trap | New Holland Brewing

New Holland Brewing

66 E 8th St, Holland, MI 49423

Tours: Sundays at 12:00pm, 1:00pm, 2:00pm and 3:00pm

Pub Hours: 11:00am – bar close

The west coast of Michigan is littered with hearty little beach towns that endure lake effect snow in the winter and hoards of Chicago tourists in the summer. One such town gets extra attention for its namesake brewery, New Holland Brewing. Nestled among ice cream stores and clothing boutiques, this brewery packs an unexpected punch in the form of creative crafts and homemade spirits made onsite. Read More

PorchDrinking Playlist | Lollapalooza Highlights

The most anticipated–yet also most frustrating–aspect of large music festivals (especially one like Lollapalooza) is the abundance of performing artists.  With five stages spanning the majority of Grant Park (319 acres!), one can imagine … Read More

Half Acre Beer Company | Inspiring the Brewer in You

“Our mission is to make a beer you can sit down with your buddies and feel good about.” As soon as I stepped into the bustling warehouse that this Chicago-based crew playfully refers to as SS Half Acre, led by the captain himself decreeing his mission, I knew I was going to like this place. If you’re ever in Chicago on a Saturday, this brewery tour is worth the wait. Read More

Chicago Craft Beer Week

Chicago is a mind-blowingly large city, boasting a population of over 2.7 million people, it is divided into more than 200 neighborhoods. These neighborhoods showcase the various cultures and lifestyles of the city’s residents, and each one is unique. The fifth annual Chicago Craft Beer Week (CCBW), which started last Thursday and runs for ten days total, is centered on these small, intimate parts of the city that are so integral to its structure. With over 300 participating venues in the city and surrounding suburbs, this week is guaranteed to be amazing. Read More

Solemn Oath Brewery | Kidnapped by Vikings

6% ABV | 75 IBU

Just yesterday, I was having a conversation about beers with the best names. Beers that taste amazing AND have a twist making them fun to … Read More

Ultimate 6er | Welcome to Chicago!

I finally did it! After about six years of daydreaming and talking my friends’ ears off about it, I finally packed up my entire life (which is basically just my records, my cats and my beer collection) and hauled off to Chicago. Being a lifelong Florida resident, I feel as though I now live on an entirely different planet. I am using public transportation for the first time ever, attempting to navigate a completely new music scene and trying all kinds of beers I’ve never even heard of. It’s pretty awesome! Here are six of the amazing brews I’ve come across so far. Read More

Three Floyds Brewery | Alpha King Pale Ale

ABV 6.6%

IBU 68

One day, every Spring a vast percentage of my social networking feeds suddenly revolve around one topic: Dark Lord Day. Some will actually score tickets. Many will not. Either way, this “golden” ticket release day serves as a reminder to a couple very important things for me. 1. Spring is here. (DLD is always held the last Saturday of April.) 2. Beer Festival season is officially beginning. Just three short weeks after DLD, Chicago Craft Beer Week will begin… and it starts. 3. There will inevitably be a trip planned in the near future where Chicago pals will bicycle along the Lakefront path to the Three Floyds Brewery and enjoy the day. And lastly, 4. I remember why I love Three Floyds and that is, while they serve as a great beer year round, the majority of their portfolio is made up of great summer delights. Read More

Revolution Brewing – A Little Crazy

ABV: 6.8%

I checked two bags on my flight back to LA from Chicago, and thanks to the absurd amount of beer I was transporting, the baggage weight limit was a real issue. Walking up to the counter I knew it was going to be close, but I was prepared to jettison anything and everything to keep my precious stock of Chicago beer. Read More

Festiv-Ale 2013; A time to drink AND give back!

Among all the times we geek out for beer fests, rare releases, GABF (…the list goes on), I began to recently notice the phenomenal outpour (pun intended) of charity beer … Read More

Mrs. O’Leary’s Chocolate Milk Stout

ABV: 7%

Chicagoan or not, we all know of The Great Chicago Fire. Recently, I mentioned breweries like Revolution and Haymarket Brewing who incorporate a bit of Chicago history in … Read More

PorchDrinking Interview: Pipeworks Brewing

Despite only being open for about a year and a half, Pipeworks Brewing out of Chicago, IL has been making huge waves in the craft beer community. Unique and complex beers … Read More

Great Lakes Brewing Company – Silver & Gold IPL

ABV: 7.5%

IBU: 50

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of visiting Chicago. I was in town for the wedding of a very special friend of mine, and while … Read More

Chicago Gears Up For Inaugural American Beer Classic

Chicago’s Soldier Field has hosted a lot of events since it opened in 1924. Besides the Bears, it has hosted college football, ice hockey, World Cup soccer and even the Rolling Stones. But May 11^th will be a first for the stadium when the inaugural American Beer Classic takes center stage.

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Beervana: Chicago

So, just a bit of background – I’m originally from the Chicago area, and I lived in the city for four years prior to moving to Denver in late 2009. I wasn’t really approaching the ranks of beer geek prior to my move, but I’ve been fortunate to retain a fantastic group of friends and family that still live all over the north side of Chicago and a job that affords me the opportunity to make a return trip every couple months. I’ve made it my goal to hit up the best bars and breweries the city has to offer each time I’m back.

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Heileman’s Old Style

If you live north of the Mason-Dixon Line, chances are the weather still stinks. But instead of listening to the overgrown rodent we call a “groundhog” for our meteorological forecasts, we can turn to an equally non-scientific sign that spring is just around the corner: pitchers and catchers are reporting to spring training.

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No Good From Playing Derrick Rose This Season

Walk around downtown Chicago and you will hear a variety of sports topics being debated. You’ll hear the classic Cubs vs. Sox, Chicago Stadium vs. United Center and the hot topic of the past few weeks has been should Derrick Rose play this year or not?

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Half Acre – Daisy Cutter Pale Ale

Half Acre Beer Company – 5.2% ABV

My Chicago friends and I try to occasionally exchange beer or meet-up to do an impromptu tasting. I make the trip back every couple months or so for work, and I always offer to bring some beer along with me. But here’s the thing – what’s available here is generally available on the east coast, with a few notable exceptions (Odell’s and some of the more recent craft brewery openings). Unfortunately, it’s not true the other way around. Despite living in a beer mecca, I find myself longing for the midwest beers I no longer have easy access to. My solution? I smuggle beer back in my luggage. The most frequent beer that I bring home with me? Daisy Cutter.

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Goose Island: In Memoriam

Goose Island was the first true craft beer I ever tried. It was a well-respected and widely available brand throughout the Chicago area, so it only made sense. 312 (named after the area code in which it was originally brewed) quickly became one of the first beers I would recommend to folks who aren’t traditionally fans of beer, or are looking to expand beyond the typical Bud or Miller products. Similar to most wheat beers, 312 is easy to drink and lacks the hoppy or malty impact of heavier beers. It’s not a great beer – it’s a great beginner’s beer.

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Two Brothers – Cane and Ebel

Cane and Ebel- Two Brothers Brewing, Warrenville, IL

ABV: 7.0%

IBU: 68

Two Brothers Brewing started in 1996 by brothers Jim and Jason Ebel. After running a beer and … Read More